Creamy asparagus pesto bucatini
Spring is in full swing and this quick and easy pasta recipe stars one of my favourite vegetables — asparagus! It’s peak asparagus season right now and I couldn’t be happier to have an excuse to eat more of it. This asparagus pasta comes together in less than 30 minutes and is perfect to enjoy outside in the sunshine. This recipe is for two people, but can easily be doubled.
Ingredients
For the asparagus pesto
- 225 g trimmed asparagus cut into roughy 1 1/2 inch pieces
- olive oil for roasting
- salt and pepper
- 1 small clove garlic
- 20 g almonds
- 25 g shredded parmesan or vegetarian hard cheese
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 3-4 tbsp olive oil
For the cream sauce
- 15 g salted butter
- 1 small clove garlic minced
- 230 ml cream
- salt and pepper
For the pasta and plating
- 20 g salt for the water
- 200 g bucatini
- reserved asparagus
- lemon zest
- fresh black pepper
- extra parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200c/180 fan. Put your asparagus into a roasting tin with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for 10-12 minutes until tender.
- Reserve a few pieces of asparagus per person for serving and add the rest of the asparagus in the food processor along with the garlic, almonds, parmesan, lemon juice, 3 tbsp of olive oil, and a couple of grinds of fresh black pepper. Blend the mixture, scraping down the sides as needed, until a pesto forms. Add more olive oil as needed for your desired consistency and add more salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook your pasta in salted water to pack instructions for al dente, roughly 10-12 minutes.
- When there is about five minutes left on your pasta cooking time, make your cream sauce. Melt the butter in a small pan over low heat and add the garlic, cooking for a minute until fragrant.
- Add the cream to the butter along with a few grinds of fresh black pepper. Stir the mixture and let it heat through for 2-3 minutes before adding the parmesan. Stir until the mixture combines and creates a thick sauce. Season to taste and add the sauce to a pot with the drained bucatini, coating the pasta in the sauce.
- To plate your dish, divided the pesto between two bowls and spread it across the bottom. Use tongs to place half of the bucatini in each bowl. Place your reserved asparagus pieces on top, along with some extra shaved parmesan, fresh black pepper, and lemon zest.